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Old 07-24-2020, 08:50 PM
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blackshire blackshire is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Fairbanks, Alaska
Posts: 6,507
Default Bruce Levison--a living memorial idea

Hello All,

I have an idea for a living memorial to the late Bruce Levison (YORF handle: teflonrocketry1), which could also help his wife and children (he worried about how they could carry on after his departure from our realm):

Does anyone here know Bruce Levison's wife and children? I ask for the following reason, which could lead to a "Win, Win" situation for his family, and for our hobby (and it would also make a fine, living memorial to Bruce). I would like to pass the following along to them:

He made numerous 3D printed model rocket nose cones and body tube connectors (including transition frustum sections) for me. These ranged from the tiny, simulated strap-on booster nose cones and rocket nozzles for the T5 (5 mm outside diameter) booster tubes that came in the Taurus-1 MPC Miniroc kit (these simulated booster parts came in the MPC/AVI/early Quest plastic detail parts set) to the Centuri Phoenix Bird nose one and ST-13 (BT-56) plastic tubing connector (he also 3D printed the transition frustum section, the Phoenix Bird-type nose cone and tubing connector, and the large elliptical nose cone for the Enerjet 1340 and 1340/20 sounding rockets [their "ST-13" body tubes were thicker-walled, but had the same outside diameter; Bruce sized mine to fit ST-13/BT-56]), and:

In between ("size-wise"), he also 3D printed for me the 5:1 tangent ogive and elliptical nose cones for T15 (15 mm outside diameter tubing, used in all of the MPC Miniroc kits), Centuri PNC-70 nose cones (the one used in Centuri's Lil' Herc II kit, and--along with the rounded-tip conical BT-51 from the X-24 "Bug" kit--also in the Centuri Argus "KWIK-KIT"). He also made a BT-50 size Pegasus XL (the winged, air-dropped satellite launch vehicle) scale nose cone, and 1/72 scale, 3D printed 20", 30", and 48" diameter Marquardt wingtip-mounted subsonic ramjet engines, which were flight-tested (all except the 48" ones) on P-51 Mustang and F-80 Shooting Star fighter planes. ALSO:

Bruce was a talented 3D printed parts designer; he had a great artist's eye--combined with an engineer's ability to envision objects in three dimensions--which enabled him to create files (and print them) for objects that used a minimum of plastic while being quite strong (he envisioned the load-paths that enabled the parts to be light yet strong). Plus:

The two-part nose cones--such as the PNC-70 ones--that he 3D printed for me (they're nose cones with glue-on bases having the "3D printed-in" tie "loop" [I don't know what its technical name is], to which the shock cord and the parachute [or the short streamer line] are tied) are just like the injection-molded Estes BT-5 and BT-20 plastic nose cones. Each has a small, separately-3D printed flat base--with the "3D printed-in" tie "loop"--that's glued into & onto the "3D printed-in shoulder" of the nose cone. The base fits like a glove! NOW:

I had bought these 3D printed model rocket parts (and the "after-market" plastic model scale customizing parts [the 1/72 scale Marquardt P-51 and F-80 experimental wingtip ramjets]) from Bruce, and I had helped him--via our e-mail discussions--to work toward a "cottage business" of 3D printing these and other parts, for model rocket companies (especially the smaller ones) as well as for individual space modelers (this was before his health took a turn for the worst, of course). This could still be done, in a way that would help his family, other model rocket companies, and us:

If Bruce's wife and/or children would be interested (and also did/do 3D printing using his extensive set of equipment for that [he'd e-mailed me photographs of his big basement workshop and 3D printing set-up; it was quite impressive!]), they could generate a significant stream of income by 3D printing parts for model rocket manufacturers (and companies needing other 3D printed items), classic kit cloners, scale space modelers, and plastic modelers (and small manufacturers of unusual or rare plastic kit scale subjects), and:

They could also 3D print parts for R/C, C/L (and U/C), and F/F model manufacturers, and for individual modelers (aileron/elevon, elevator, and rudder bellcranks and hinges for Radio-Control model airplanes and gliders, electric motor mounts, push-rod guide tubes and channels, Control-Line [and U-Control] model airplane "swingles" [that's not their technical name], DT--dethermalizer--fuse tubes [3D printed thin metal] for Free-Flight model planes and gliders [including boost-gliders], Jetex/Rapier scale jet exhaust duct tubes [3D printed thin metal], and wing mounts with "built-in dihedral" [for balsa hand-launched and catapult-launched F/F gliders--Sky's Condor boost-glider <see: https://www.apogeerockets.com/Rocke...or-Boost-Glider & http://www.unclemikesrocketshack.com/Sky_Rockets.html > has these, too], etc.).

I hope this information will be helpful.
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Black Shire--Draft horse in human form, model rocketeer, occasional mystic, and writer, see:
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